My Grandmother's Recipe Box

I used the less fussy pate de choux recipe that I made growing up before I knew the correct french term for cream puff dough.   I have made it the fussy way and the way I will describe below and I don't really notice much difference.   Here is is:  Put one stick of butter in 1 cup of water and bring to a boil; add 1 cup of flour and stir until combined; remove from heat and add 4 eggs one at time making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. If you have never made these before, the dough gets slimy when you add the add and then you keep stirring and in a blink it incorporates into the dough.     For this bake, I made chocolate eclairs with chocolate glaze and regular cream puffs with a cardamom cream filling.   Pipe eclairs or puff onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment and cook until golden.  Cook time depends on the size of the puff but make sure to not take them out too early so they are able t...

The simple   Paul Hollywood Ciabatta Recipe .  How simple is it?  The ingredients are few and the technique seems simple but there is also a bit of practice makes perfect needed here. So far I have made two tries at it.   The flavor was good in both but I made a crucial error on the 1st try so it was a bit dense.  I should have paid attention tot the kind of yeast - Instant Yeast means Fast Acting Yeast and I just breezed right past that distinction the 1st time.   I have some pics of both tries below. They both mixed up very well and formed a lovely dough ball. Gluten is really amazing to watch form. Try 1   Try 2 Try 2 The problem was in the rise - see difference in size of dough before and after proofing               Try 1 Before Try 1 After               Try 2 Before Try 2 After The shaping of the dough is a little ...

I have always wanted to make a Buche de Noel and this year I finally decided to jump in.  It wasn't perfect but it looked pretty darn good and tasted great.  And it was even gluten free so that everyone could enjoy it on Christmas Eve. Again, I did not find one recipe that fit the bill for what I was making so I used pieces of different recipes to make: A gluten free chocolate sponge, a french chocolate buttercream (so delicious) and meringue mushrooms as well as just regular whipped cream for the center. The "ribbons"  Add the chocolate and in the oven.   It is a very thin cake so make sure you watch the timing  Dust with cocoa powder and sugar to roll it up while it is still warm  Cool the cake completely while rolled up  Fille with cream and.... re-roll.   This was tricky and the cake was sticky.  I am not sure if that is related to the gluten free cake or if it is just tricky.  Even if it looks messe...

I have been inspired by binging the British Baking Show.  Though this recipe was not in my grandmother's recipe box, I know she would have approved and loved trying this French dessert.  I don't have the exact recipe as I usually search for recipes and then use part of several.  You can find recipes for all of these components so pick your favorites and put them together.  Poach the pears with sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon peel.   (Leaves you with a great simple syrup to make a cocktail with if you are so inclined) Make a sweet short crust and blind bake.   You can buy baking beans or just use regular beans. Slice the pears and fan them out a bit  Make frangipane Fill the tart with frangipane  Place the pears on the tart and bake.  Cover the crust with foil so it doesn't burn.  Share and Enjoy!

I did not find this recipe in my grandmother's box, but I am certain that she made them and even more certain that she loved them though we did always just call them cream puffs.  I looked up all the fancy french recipes for making these and followed one to the T.  I weighed the ingredients to get just right amounts and did everything else that seems to indicate that these are a fussy dessert to make.  I even made my own french pastry cream which called  back memories of a vanilla custard that my grandmother used to make.  Could pastry cream and Mom's vanilla custard be one and the same? They were very good. However, the old recipe that I used make with my mother without the weighing and fussiness was really quite close.  The choux à la crème are pictured but I show below the much simpler "cream puff" recipe.  1 stick butter 1 cup water 1 cup flour pinch of salt 4 eggs Melt one stick of butter in one cup of water and pinch of salt on the stove...

The details were sketchy on this recipe which isn't a surprise so I had to just feel my way though it. I started with some beef that  I cubed up in stew sized pieces. Then I coated them with flour and salt and pepper and browned them in some canola oil.  Some farmer's market veggies. Peeled and chopped with a bay leaf.  Added to the stew meat with a cup or so of beef stock and some water. Don't forget the poultry seasoning since there was added wording that this was not a mistake.  Voila - Beef Stew Before serving make some dumpling batter and then serve it up.   And if you are wondering what the ???? mean - I don't know.  So I added a a couple sprigs of thyme.   It seemed to work out.